Media outlets often produce reviews of the year long before its first turkey dinner. This year was an illustration of why that can be a bad idea.

North East sport waited until the 363rd day of 2014 for arguably its most momentous story, Alan Pardew leaving Newcastle United to become manager of Crystal Palace. Walking out on one of England’s best-supported clubs to join another fighting relegation was a slap in the face for Newcastle morale, but then their whole year was about recovering from them.

Twenty-fourteen started with high hopes for the Magpies. They were four points off the Champions League places and a good transfer window away from a decent second half of the season. Few will have been naive enough to expect that, but their worst fears came to fruition. Yohan Cabaye was sold mid-window and although Remy Cabella was identified as a replacement, Newcastle dithered for six months before buying him.

The year started with a tame FA Cup third round surrender at home to Cardiff City, and tailed off. Only 16 points were won in the second half of the campaign, a third straight Tyne-Wear derby was lost – like the first, 3-0 at St James’ Park.

The one January arrival, on-loan Luuk de Jong, disappointed and Joe Kinnear lost his director of football job for underselling Cabaye.

But the low point came as Sunderland fans partied in Covent Garden ahead of a Wembley cup final. News came through that Pardew had headbutted an opposition player. If ever there was a case to be sacked, that was it. Instead he lasted nine more months before leaving on his own terms.

It showed Pardew was bullet-proof and he needed to be when picking up four points from a possible first 21 this season against the backdrop of an internet campaign to have him sacked as the summer signings either struggled to gel or in the case of the most anticipated, de Jong’s brother Siem, got injured.

Six straight wins and the only victory inflicted on Chelsea in the opening half of this season represented a glorious last hurrah but the problems had not been addressed, and Pardew’s willingness to ignore them and get on with life was one.

It was a poor year for the region’s football clubs. Sunderland did reach the League Cup final, but lost, and only avoided relegation with a brilliant 11th-hour run. Carlisle United dropped into League Two and, like Hartlepool United, end 2014 fretting over their Football League membership. Even the usual salvation of the FA Vase eluded the region, West Auckland beaten in the final. Gateshead also made it to Wembley, but lost the Conference play-off final.

Middlesbrough’s second half of the year promises much for 2015, but their experience of two years ago shows nothing can be taken for granted.

Sunderland – whose women’s team won promotion to English football’s top tier – have improved massively defensively this season but it did not stop them losing 8-0 at Southampton and their deficiencies at the other end means they are again involved in a relegation battle.

Newcastle Falcons have also made great strides, in their case in terms of entertainment, thanks in no small part to the laying of an artificial pitch at Kingston Park.

It has reaped rewards at the gate – where attendances are up 18.3% – but not in rugby union’s Premiership table, where they are only a point better off, and in the same position.

South Shields-born Katy McLean was the region’s rugby union star, leading England to the women’s World Cup.

While Gateshead Thunder followed the town’s football team in missing out in the rugby league play-offs, the progress made in 2014, plus a raft of post-season signings, suggested their link-up with the Falcons can be beneficial.

Newcastle Eagles put right what – only by their high standards – was a disappointing 2013 to reassert themselves at the top of British basketball. They lost two cup finals but won the British Basketball League Championship, and a year-ending 18 straight wins despite an uncharacteristic roster change in the season’s early weeks bodes very well.

County cricket champions in 2013, Durham spent much of last summer fighting relegation as the reality of their budgetary restrictions belatedly took hold. But a fifth-place finish and the Royal London Cup represented a successful first full season for coach Jon Lewis.

It was supposed to be captain Paul Collingwood’s last but, inspired by a winter coaching Scotland to next year’s World Cup and England at this year’s World Twenty20 made him shelve his retirement plans.

After Scott Borthwick made his debut in the first Test of the year, where Ben Stokes took 6-99, both would have hoped to make more impact on the remodelled England side.

Scott Borthwick in action for Durham CCC

Newcastle hosted two boxing world title shows but both were anti-climactic. Stuey Hall’s all-North East affair with Martin Ward lasted less than four minutes because of the latter’s eye wound, and he lost his IBF world bantamweight title to Paul Butler returning to Tyneside in June.

Jon-Lewis Dickinson won the Lonsdale cruiserweight belt outright on the first undercard, but lost his title second time around and is yet to recover. A stress fracture stopped his brother Travis having a shot at a British title, despite setting it up by winning Boxing News’ fight of the year.

Teesside sprinter Richard Kilty produced one of the year’s best performances in winning the 60m title at the World Indoor Games.